“The
Avengers” began life as a comic book in 1963 in the able hands of
comics legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The original team consisted of
Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp and the Hulk, five of the biggest stars
of Marvel’s relaunch of costumed heroes. At that point, Lee wanted to
slip a book into the publishing schedule that was guaranteed to be a
hit, and what better way than to pump up the sales by including
everyone’s favorite heroes? Only three issues, later in # 4, Lee and
Kirby brought back Captain America, who became the flagship superhero
for the line for years, and still remains so today.

The comic book universes of the two giants, DC and Marvel, change
constantly. At this time, both publishers are tinkering with their
lines, creating brand-new worlds for their heroes to adventure in. Fans
anxiously wait to see what will be added and what will be subtracted.

Changing of the old guard is a standard in comics as well.
Experimentation is the lifeblood of new ideas, takes, and characters.
Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch launched “The Ultimates,” with the same
Avengers that were in the original cast, but with an innovative and
darkly skewed twenty-first century twist. Ant-Man has just become
Giant-Man and his marriage to the Wasp is on the rocks. Iron Man really
is a playboy who puts on the armor more for thrills than to save
people. Thor may or may not be an actual Norse god. And the Hulk is a
rampaging monster that destroyed a lot of downtown Manhattan and killed
dozens of people.

Now, with the success of the “Ultimates” line, which also includes the
Fantastic 4, Spider-Man, the X-Men and several other revamped heroes in
continuing series and mini-series, Marvel has decided to produce four
direct-to-DVD animated movies. The first two are about the Ultimates,
borrowing heavily from the storylines created by Millar and Hitch. The
next two will be about Iron Man and Dr. Strange, so Marvel fans and
superhero enthusiasts will have a lot to look forward to.

The first “Ultimate Avengers” movie involves an alien threat against
the Earth that stretches back to World War II. Chapter 1 focuses on
Captain America in 1945 as he leads his men on a desperate mission in
the North Atlantic. The disc opens up with a big- band sound that pours
lusciously from the surround sound system, then hones in on the sound
of throbbing plane engines as the American commandos swoop in for the
kill. Machine gun fire and mortar rockets explode in a cornucopia of
battle noises, and the surround sound system puts the viewer in the
center of the action. The barrage of blasts peal from the left speaker,
then the right, emulating the movement on the screen. A rush of
patriotic music ushers Captain America into the fray. Machine gun
bullets hammer the airplane he pilots from the right speaker, then the
subwoofer lights up as he crashes through the front doors of the
outpost. His men rally and follow him inside. In short order, he’s
fighting hand-to-hand with a Nazi commandant who’s obviously not of
this world. High-tech robot creatures help finish up a missile that’s
launched. But Captain America has fought his way aboard it and manages
to damage the guidance systems, destroying it. Captain America drops
into the freezing North Atlantic Ocean and disappears from sight. His
final letter to his sweetheart, Gail, leads us into the opening credits.

Chapter 2 opens up on action as well. This time a submarine trolls
through the freezing waters, but its sixty years later. Nick Fury, the
one-eyed director of the super-secret SHIELD agency, pushes his crew on
their mystery mission. The speaking parts all stream from the correct
left or right speakers as Fury gets responses. Within a few minutes, we
discover that Fury is there after Captain America’s body. They find the
hero frozen in the ice.

The VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft blast through the
speakers in Chapter 3. Dr. Bruce Banner is quickly introduced and
viewers learn that SHIELD has been working to duplicate the
super-soldier serum that turned puny Steve Rogers into the incredible
warrior known as Captain America. The Hulk is mentioned, foreshadowing
events to follow (the movie is really well thought out and executed!).
Captain America comes out of hibernation (no doubt helped by the
super-soldier serum coursing through his veins) and fights free of the
lab where he’s being studied. The amazing acrobatic display depicted by
the animation just couldn’t get any better, reminding us that this is
not a Saturday morning cartoon. Running footsteps pursue Captain
America as he flees, switching from the center speakers to the left
speaker to emulate the action. Then Captain America has to deal with
the fact that he’s no longer living in the world he remembers. Nick
Fury talks him down, taking control of the situation and promising help.

Chapter 4 shifts to a space station in geosynchronous orbit around the
Earth. As Nick Fury walks through the command center, military music
issues from the surround sound system. Even as the satellite tracking
system comes online, an alien spacecraft streaks into space and blasts
it, shoving down into the gravitational well. The crashing and screams
echo from the surround sound system. Fury is instructed to activate
Project Avenger and go into the recruitment phase for superhumans.

Personality clashes deepen in Chapter 5, spinning out subplot threads
that aren’t usually in kids’ cartoons. Bruce and Betty are definitely
at odds with one another, and Bruce is still very much in love with
her. But she hates the Hulk, Bruce’s alter ego. When the door opens on
the right, the noise comes through the right speaker, again showing how
much care has gone into the production of the movie. Tony Stark and the
Black Widow are also introduced in a moment worthy of a James Bond
film. As the Widow guides Stark to a more “private” place, Fury’s voice
comes from the right speaker. He’s seated at Stark’s desk. Fury wants
Iron Man and figures that Stark made the hero’s suit of armor. Fury has
to follow Stark outside and the sweep of the helicopter rotors fills
the surround sound system.

Captain America and Dr. Banner talk at the beginning of Chapter 6 and
we see how each of the men is driven. Captain America wants to know
what he can do for the world and what his place is in it, and Banner
wants to know what the world can do for him and wants to become its
hero. Captain America looks at the picture of Gail that Banner gives
him. Fury goes to meet Hank Pym (Giant-Man) and Janet Pym (the Wasp)
and recruits them. Hank is arrogant and cocky, all about himself. When
the Wasp is small, her voice is tiny in the surround sound system.

At the opening of Chapter 7, Iron Man jets to the rescue and the sound
lights up the subwoofer. Helicopters cruise in and the sound pummels
us. Later, when Fury tries to run Iron Man to ground, his boots rip up
the asphalt and grind through the subwoofer.

The recruitment continues and the stakes escalate as Captain America
tries to figure out how he fits into the present-day world. As always
in the comics, he comes across as a man out of time. All of the
characters are well rounded in this first effort from Marvel’s DVD
launch. Bruce Banner’s paranoia and megalomania, Tony Stark’s mix of
playboy and savior, Hank and Janet’s marital woes, and Thor’s laid-back
approach to godhood comes across true to the vision Millar and Hitch
envisioned in their comics.

The additional materials on the disc are interesting. The “Avengers
Assemble” featurette delivers a lot of information to viewers not
conversant with the Avengers’ world, but there’s enough of it (as well
as comic book covers that are sure to rekindle memories of youth for
those who grew up reading the book) to render the piece a must-watch
for even the most erudite comics reader. The voice talent search is a
hoot. However, the trivia track and the “What Avenger Are You?” game
are too simple for the dedicated Avenger fan.

“Ultimate Avengers” is a definite keeper for any comics fan or any
younger viewer who loves imagining he has superpowers. More than being
a treat for the comics buff, though, “Ultimate Avengers” delivers on a
true movie experience, backing the incredible action with realistic
characters. The fight with the Hulk in the final two chapters of the
movie is awesome. Families wanting something with a bit of a bite for
family viewing night will all have a blast with this film if they enjoy
superheroes. Definitely more intense than “Sky High,” “Ultimate
Avengers” holds its own with “Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2” and
“Fantastic Four” for sheer watchability.